Weber saw bureaucracy removing the individual from its humanity as the rules and routines substitute tradition and customs-corporations become "people"-when one goal is accomplished, another is created

alienation

Marx's term for workers' lack of connection to the product of their labor; cause by their being assigned repetitive tasks on a small part of a product- which leads to a sense of powerlessness and normlessness

goal displacement

an organization replacing old goals with new ones. (goal replacement)

groupthink

a narrowing of thought by a group of people, leading to the perception that there is only one correct course of action, in which to even suggest alternatives becomes a sign of disloyalty

the iron law of oligarchy

Robert Michels' term for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite

reference group

a group whose standards we refer to as we evaluate ourselves

2 definitions of power

Powerhas been defined on many occasions as the capacity of one individual or group to manipulate the actions of others (Classical School) or the ability of one individual or group to shape meanings and values (Postmodern school)

authority

the institutionalized arrangement of power relationships (does not require force)

legitimacy

required in order for power to transform into authority

ideology

A set of doctrines or beliefs that form the basis of a political, economic, or other systems

hegemony

Refers to the predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.

class consciousness

Marx's term for awareness of a common identity based on one's position in the means of production

contradictory class locations

Erik Wright's term for a position in the class structure that generates contradictory interests

exchange mobility

about the same numbers of people moving up and down the social class ladder, such that, on balance, the social class system shows little change

intergenerational mobility

the change that family members make in social class from one generation to the next

poverty line

the official measure of poverty; calculated to include incomes that are less than 3 times a low cost food budget

power elite

C. Wright Mills' term for the top people in US corporations, military, and politics who make the nation's major decisions

social class

according to Weber, a large group of people who rank close with one another in wealth, prestige, and power; according to Marx, one of two groups: capitalists who own the means of production or workers who sell their labor

structural mobility

movement up or down the social class ladder that is due to changes in the structure of society, not individual efforts

underclass

group of people for whom poverty persists year after year and across generations